A whistleblower has sent photos to the Serious Fraud Office and Auckland Council that allegedly show stolen ballot papers for the 2025 Manurewa Local Board election.
Fresh allegations of vote rigging at last year’s local government elections have been made to Auckland Council and the Serious Fraud Office, the Herald can reveal.
Both organisations were approached by a whistleblower this week and are understood to be assessing the claims.
Police and Election Services have also now been alerted.
The whistleblower has provided photos that purport to show bundles of stolen ballot papers for the Manurewa Local Board election.
It’s alleged the ballot papers were stolen from letterboxes at night, returned to a Manurewa office, opened, ticked with certain candidates’ names, then resealed and posted back to the electoral officer at Election Services, which runs the local body elections.
The claims remain unverified.
The names and addresses of some voters are visible on ballot papers in the photos provided this week to authorities.
The SFO is refusing to confirm or deny whether it has received a complaint or launched an investigation.
Auckland Council’s governance and engagement general manager Lou-Ann Ballantyne said on Tuesday: “These are very serious allegations that we were made aware of today and we have not confirmed any next steps.
“Nevertheless, we would ensure that any allegations of this nature, which suggest that a law has been broken, would be referred to the appropriate authority.”
In a follow-up statement yesterday, Ballantyne said the council was seeking advice from police on what steps it should take and had also contacted the SFO.
It's claimed the photos depict voting papers for the Manurewa Local Board election that were stolen from letterboxes.
She said the council had not received a formal complaint and did not yet have all the facts.
“The council has limited ability to investigate allegations of unlawful activity, but we will fully support appropriate agencies with any investigation they are leading.
“Separately, we will continue to support the Manurewa Local Board to perform its functions.”
Election Services principal electoral officer Dale Ofsoske told the Herald he wasn’t aware of alleged fraudulent voting in last year’s Manurewa elections.
“There were no alerts to me from electors that voting packs had not been received by them – as occurred in Papatoetoe.”
Ofsoske said having someone else’s voting paper in your possession was an offence punishable by up to six months in prison.
Voting in the name of another person was an offence punishable by up to two years in prison.
“These allegations are very serious, and as such, I will discuss these with the police.”
The photos have been forwarded to the Serious Fraud Office, Auckland Council, police and Election Services.
A police spokesman said they were aware of the photographs and making inquiries into the contents.
The Herald has sought comment from the local board.
This week’s claims follow allegations surrounding the 2025 Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board election, including widespread theft of voting papers and fraudulent use of stolen ballots.
Judge Richard McIlraith ultimately ruled that voting irregularities had materially affected the election, and voided the result.
At a preliminary hearing, Judge McIlraith ordered five ballot boxes containing votes from the electorate to be scrutinised.
Seventy-nine voting papers were subsequently identified during examination as having been cast without the rightful voter’s knowledge.
Papatoetoe was the only Auckland electorate to record a significant rise in turnout.
While other Auckland areas reported a drop in turnout, voting numbers in Papatoetoe increased by more than 7%.
All four seats went to first-time candidates from the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team.
Members of the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team categorically denied any wrongdoing and filed proceedings in the High Court seeking a judicial review of the District Court decision.
The High Court upheld the District Court decision to void the election result.
Lane Nichols is Auckland Desk Editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
